Moon of Good and Evil
by redfoxtails
Summary: A supernatural creature threatens Knothole and an unexpected ally joins the Freedom Fighters to combat this danger. Rated just to be safe.


**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any Sonic characters or places, just the plot and three characters from my own imagination.

Before I forget, I wrote this for a creative writing class so I only had a limited amount of time to finish this fanfic. As a consequence, there are several clichés that I used throughout here and a scene here was influenced by **Joseph DeLaCroix's** fic **_Starship Down_** (done without permission). However, my teacher really seemed to enjoy it and so that's why I'm posting it here so I can get some additional feedback. To be honest, I really did enjoy writing this and hope you enjoy reading it. Besides, it's taking me so long to update my other fics that I think everyone deserves something added here.

As for the influenced scene, it's the first scene with Sonic and Sally together which was inspired by the chapter "Thirst" of _Starship Down_. "Thirst" is a lengthy chapter and it's hard to say where the scene is exactly, but it's near the beginning of the second half of the chapter, though you might have better luck starting from the end and working backwards. That's honestly the best guess I have at finding it without having to read it from the beginning. I wish that I could give clearer instructions, but there's not really any fixed way of finding it that I can think of.

Finally, as far as the fifth chapter of "Master Chief's Side Trip is concerned, I should be just about finished. It's at page eight thus far so all I have to do is keep writing for a bit longer until I reach a suitable spot. I hope that the chapter is worth such a long wait to you. Oh, and don't hold back on comments of what could be made better about the story, or anything I post for that matter. After all, that's what this site is for, right?

**Moon of Good and Evil**

Night had long since fallen over the Great Forest and Sally Acorn had only just finished a solo reconnaissance to Robotropolis. Now she was on her way back to the safety of Knothole with new data on Robotnik's Doomsday Project courtesy of Sir Charles. She normally went on nocturnal trips, but this one seemed far different than any other.

Maybe it was the full moon that was out this night, or the fact that hardly a sound could be heard from the crickets and various other species usually out now. Either way, the squirrel slowly felt more and more uneasy about her surroundings.

Suddenly, the snapping of a twig caused Sally to jump nearly a foot in the air. Heart still pumping, she sped up, unable to stand it anymore since she was now at her wits end for she knew something was out there, something dangerous. Unfortunately, Knothole was still a good bit away, even if she continued at her current pace.

She was starting to feel slightly fatigued, if only from fright, but would have kept going if she had not sensed the presence of eyes behind her that rooted her to where she stood. There was no question of it now, even if there was before, something was stalking her. This revelation gripped at her very soul and she was unable to muster up the courage to face her would-be assailant.

Now that she had become aware of it, the thing had dispensed with any stealth it had originally employed and she could now hear heavy footsteps slowly become nearer. Fear gripped her throat, and every one of her instincts shouted at her to run as fast as she could, but her legs just refused to correspond with her alarmed brain. She knew this was the end, but she couldn't even find the ability to scream.

The murderous beast continued to approach her, relishing in its victim's fear and helplessness until there was a sudden pause in its advance. Upon hearing a scuffle of some kind, Sally's instincts kicked in which caused her to flee from the frightful scene, just wanting to be back in Knothole as soon as possible and not caring about what had occurred. Adrenaline and pure fear now propelled her through the trees and brush as the sounds gradually faded into the dense underbrush. However, this didn't cause her to lessen her speed.

She was so distraught; that she was only dimly aware she had crossed the bridge into Knothole and rushed through the village to her hut. She hurriedly threw the door to her hut open, slammed it tightly shut, and stood leaning against it; breathing heavily from her fright. Nothing, not even Robotnik himself had ever scared her like that. In vain, she attempted to calm herself, but she still trembled from her ordeal.

A tap on her door startled her so much that she leaped an entire three feet from it in surprise and landed on the floor. "W-who is it?" Sally was astonished at how weak her voice now was. It was barely even audible to her; did that thing truly affect her that much?

"Hey Sal, it's Sonic. Are you okay?" He had stayed up, unable to rest while she had been away and noticed her panicked condition. Sally's apprehension lessened when she realized that the one who had knocked was Sonic and not whatever was in the forest. Relieved at this, she shakily rose to her feet to open the door, but the effect of her horrifying experience prevented any reliable movements at the moment.

"Come in." She finally said, leaning against a nearby nightstand for balance. When Sonic entered the hut, the first thing he noticed, even in the darkness, was Sally as pale as a sheet with her blue eyes alert in fear.

In a flash, the hedgehog was by her side and she thankfully transferred her weight over to him. "What happened?" It was the only thing Sonic could say as he stood with the trembling Mobian in his arms. She was trembling in pure terror. He'd never seen Sally in this state before and, truth be told, it scared him, too.

"I don't know." She whispered from his embrace.

This put Sonic in a rare position for him. He hardly ever comforted anybody before, that was usually what Sally did with the younger inhabitants of Knothole, but there was a first time for everything.

Thinking hard, he finally verbalized in a soft, solemn tone what he believed to be the right thing to say at a time like this. "Tell me what you can."

By morning, the two of them were sitting upon the bed together; Sally had long since fallen asleep huddled against her childhood friend. Sonic, however, remained awake after hearing her recount the events of the previous night. _What was that thing? Why did it stop so suddenly? Where is it now?_ These were all questions left unanswered in his mind, and he felt certain that he wouldn't like any of the answers.

Sonic was broken out of his reverie by a knock against the door. There was no mistaking the sound of steel on wood; Bunnie had dropped by for a morning visit. Not wanting Sally to be disturbed just yet, he remained silent, hoping that Bunnie would think that Sally had gone off somewhere else or was still asleep, the latter being true.

Eventually the sound of Bunnie descending the short stairs from the porch fell upon his ears. Right now, the best thing for Sally was rest. He would tell the others about what had happened that afternoon at the earliest.

Just a few moments afterwards, Sally's form had begun to stir slightly. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Sonic who noticed she had a more refreshed appearance. "Good morning." He simply said.

She gave a small smile as her only response as she gently broke away from his embrace and rose to her feet as Sonic followed suit.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked out of genuine concern.

"Better now, thanks." She replied in slightly higher spirits, reassuring the hedgehog somewhat.

"No problemo, Sal." Sonic told her and put an arm around her shoulders. "You've done a lot for everyone here; it's about time someone did something for you."

"I guess you're right, but now we have to tell the village about what happened. What if that thing comes here?"

"I know." He agreed.

"Did someone knock earlier?" She now questioned, suddenly remembering a noise she thought she had heard.

"Yeah, I think it was Bunnie, but I don't know what she wanted."

"She probably wanted to know how the reconnaissance went last night." The mere thought of it still sent a tiny shiver through her.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Sonic inquired upon seeing her reaction.

"Yes, I'm just a little shaken, that's all." She tried to convince him as well as herself. In truth, that one encounter scared her even thinking about it. He didn't quite believe her, but let it slide, hoping that if she had enough time she would truly recover. Now, they had to inform the others of what had occurred. If that thing was still out there, they had to be prepared for the worst.

"We'd better go now, the sooner they know, the better." Sally said at last after a short silence. "You get Bunnie, Rotor, and Antoine while I go to the assembly hut. We shouldn't tell everyone at once."

"Gotcha, we'll be there in a sonic second." With that, he was off to gather the main Freedom Fighters for the horrific news. Personally, he would have taken her there first, but knew she wouldn't accept and time was of the essence.

A half-hour afterwards, they had all gathered in the designated location, with three of them rather confused as to the subject, which Sonic had neglected to mention. Nonetheless, Sally's grave expression told them that it was at least something of great importance.

Once everyone had been seated, Sally was prepared to convey her grim news. All those around knew it was something grave for they remained silent. Her gaze went from one to the next, from the southern cyborg rabbit, Bunnie; to their mechanic, Rotor; and finally to their self-proclaimed Royal Guard, Antoine. This wasn't going to be easy retelling her chilling tale again, but it had to be done.

Steadily, she described the events of the previous night and observed the looks of disbelief and fear on her friend's faces. When she had finished her recount, Antoine had turned a ghostly white and appeared ready for a fainting spell. Bunnie and Rotor took it better than she could have hoped.

"Wow, that's certainly very heavy news." Rotor finally spoke up after a few uncomfortable minutes of silence.

"Yes, and Ah agree with Sally-girl. Everyone needs to be aware of this danger." Bunnie concurred with Sally and Sonic's earlier decision.

"Yeah, and to do that, we need to call an emergency meeting of the village. No one should be out of the village, especially at night." Sonic affirmed vigorously.

"But wouldn't that interfere with raids on Robobropolis?" The orange rabbit questioned.

"Until something can be done about this, we'll have to postpone any new raids." Sally suddenly broke out of her contemplation. This startled everyone sufficiently to even snap Antoine out of his shock.

"No raids? Then we won't be able to do anything to hurt Robotnik." Rotor protested.

"I know, but I can't risk anyone's safety with that thing out there somewhere. For all we know, it's waiting for us to leave Knothole." Sally responded to the walrus' comment.

"I agree with the princess on this. It is simply too dangerous." The French coyote expressed.

"Well, we have been goin' on more than a few raids over the past weeks. Maybe it's good for us to take a break. There's only so much we can do so Ah also agree with Sal on this." Bunnie stated.

Despite his earlier comment, Rotor assented to this as well. Even Sonic, who was normally too reckless to bother thinking most things through, saw the light of reason.

"Then we're all in agreement as to what to do?" Sally asked to make sure there were no objections. Seeing all positive responses from her comrades, she continued. "Now we just need to warn everyone, but in small groups at a time. If the entire village found out about this at once, mass pandemonium could ensue."

"But what do we say? It's not like we can go around saying some kind of creature is out in the forest." Sonic pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, but we can't take the chance of anyone getting killed because of ignorance of danger. That's why there's going to be two lookouts instead of the usual one. We could even set up a second lookout post to increase security." Sally explained.

"Yeah, if everyone's on the alert, there'll be less of a chance of this thing catching us off guard." Rotor observed.

"Why don't we just get them all together in the dinin' hut? It would be a whole lot easier than goin' around and tellin' them, wouldn't it? Besides, Ah'm sure they can take news like this without losin' their little ol' heads." Bunnie advised.

"Very well, that probably is the best idea." Sally complied. "Are there any objections?" Upon seeing none from the others, she adjourned the meeting. Sonic and Sally went to the dining hut to prepare to announce the grim news while the others would gather the populace.

By late afternoon, most of the adults of Knothole were seated; awaiting what they were told was urgent news. All of the younger inhabitants were left with those who would not be attending. At once, their attention was dominated when Sally appeared at the front of the room.

They took the news better than Sally had originally anticipated, but tensions still rose considerably. The knowledge of this danger weighed heavily on each of their minds. Hopefully, the precautions Sally had implicated would be enough to keep them safe. Until then, they just had to stay on their toes more than usual.

Four days later, the whole village was still on the alert, yet nothing out-of-the-ordinary had happened. However, early that morning just before sunrise, while Sonic was on his new regular rounds about the border of Knothole, something caught his attention with the subtlety of a charging train. Two distinct bestial growls could be heard among the trees just beyond his range of vision.

His first impulse was to investigate, which he followed. All of Knothole had heard these disturbances, but remained inside for fear of encountering what had caused them. However, some were brave enough to take quick glances out of their windows.

Sonic moved with apprehension to within several yards of the tree line when a yelp of pain caught his attention and further rustling as if something was retreating. At this time, the sun could be seen emerging from the horizon. Apparently, at least one of the creatures had escaped, but that could have left one because he had definitely heard no less than two.

This didn't matter much though due to the fact that he wanted to see the thing that had stalked Sally not too long ago. He felt sure that whatever it was could never beat his speed and so he entered the trees with the intent of locating it.

It wasn't long until he came to a part of the woods that seemed to have been violently disturbed. Deep claw marks were seen in several of the trees, exposing the pulp. If that same thing was here, it seemed to be a miracle that Sally had ever escaped in the first place.

There appeared to be nothing left here of any interest to him as to the identity of those things and so he was getting ready to leave when he noticed something out of place out of the corner of his eye. Looking closely, he saw that it was a hand, and not just any hand either; it was unmistakably a human hand poking out of the shrubbery.

Whoever it belonged to had been knocked unconscious, possibly by the creature. If the human did see it, then he could find out what exactly they were up against. Moving cautiously, he made his way to where the hand lay. Leaning forward and parting the bushes, he saw precisely what he expected to see, with one exception: the human in question was a male and wore no clothing, unlike others of his species.

Wounds could be discerned along his exposed back and his breathing was shallow. His hair was untamed and dirty from dirt and grime making it nearly impossible to ascertain any particular color. While he was still deliberating on whether or not he should try to awaken this unknown individual, Bunnie and Sally appeared and rushed to where he knelt.

"Sonic, what were you thinking? You could have been hurt, or worse!" The now irate squirrel scolded him. But upon seeing who Sonic had found, the two of them quickly did an about face, blushing intensely.

The hedgehog replaced the bushes, hiding the human from view and turned to Sally in an attempt to justify what he did. "Sal, whatever was here was long gone when I arrived. I even heard it run after I heard a yelp."

"Alright, but who is that you found?" Sally questioned slowly, regaining her composure from the unexpected discovery.

"I don't know, but I think that thing attacked him and fled. He could help us identify it if we take him back to Knothole and treat him."

"Fine," Sally conceded, "but first, could you get something to cover him up, please."

"Ah got that sugar-hog." Bunnie suddenly offered and returned to Knothole to locate some extra blankets. She returned later with an armful of old sheets and comforters in tow as well as a large board.

"What's that for?" Sonic asked inquisitively.

"It's to make it easier for little ol' me to get him to the medical hut." Bunnie replied.

Shortly afterwards, the human was in the medical hut with his wounds treated as best they could be. A quick scan by NICOLE showed that he had no serious internal injuries, which were very fortunate considering he was attacked by something that could have easily have torn him in two.

Of course, the appearance of a human in Knothole, especially during these critical times, sent a fresh chill throughout the citizens. Every chance any of them got; they attempted to inquire Bunnie, Sonic, and Sally about this new, strange visitor. This went on until late morning when Sally finally told them that there would be information available once the human had woken up, but not before then.

Gaining a reprieve from the constant pestering, the three of them took shifts in watching the dark-haired human. The sun had risen to its highest point during Sally's watch when a major change had overcome their patient. He began to move, if only slightly, but that was enough to catch her attention.

A low groan escaped the being as he gradually opened his eyes and searched his surroundings in a weary way. It was as if he was looking for something or someone when he noticed his observer eyeing him cautiously.

"Who are you?" Was the first thing that came out of the human's mouth. His voice sounded slightly rough.

"I could ask you the same." Sally replied nonchalantly.

"Touché, but I was the first to ask the question." The patient persisted, sitting up with little visible effort.

If you won't tell me your name then you could at least tell me what you were doing in the forest this morning." The princess tried her interrogation from a different angle.

"I guess it's safe to assume you heard something that aroused your curiosity." The stranger appeared intrigued at this aspect of their conversation.

"You could say that." Sally continued her evasive tact. Her statement seemed to draw some small amusement from the impromptu guest as he now had a wry smile.

"Well, I can't hide my identity forever. No matter how entertaining this chat has been, the truth will eventually come to light. Call me Ranul." As he finished, he extended a hand in official greeting.

"And I'm Sally." She returned and accepted the handshake warmly. Her hand felt surprisingly small against his firm grip.

"Now that we are acquainted, maybe you could inform me about how you got here and what attacked you. Judging from where we found you and your injuries, it must have been something savage." Sally got down to the point she truly wished to discuss.

"I got here because of my chosen occupation, in answer to your first question. As for what assaulted me, well, let's just say it had to do with my first answer." Ranul replied cryptically.

Before Sally could question him further, a scratching could be heard at the door. She was wondering who would possibly do something like that, but Ranul appeared to have been expecting this as he said to Sally. "Do you mind getting that? I think I might know who it is." Confused, the female Mobian did what he requested, and was utterly stunned for what appeared was a snow-white, unevolved wolf that entered the hut.

Ranul, however, seemed pleased at its arrival as it approached him. When it reached within arm's length, he began stroking its flowing coat and greeted it like he would an old friend.

"There you are Ralos. I was wondering where you were." By that time, Sonic and Bunnie had apparently received the news of an unannounced visitor at the medical hut and immediately showed up just as soon as Ranul had finished his statement. The first thing they noticed was a conscious Ranul lying unperturbed by Ralos.

"What the…" Sonic started, but the awakened guest interrupted what he was about to say.

"Don't worry, Ralos here is a friend of mine. In fact, he helps me with my occupation I mentioned to Sally earlier. I was waiting for him to get here so that I could at least make myself more decent for conversation." Ranul explained while pulling out clothing from a side pack flung upon the wolf's side from two narrow strips of cloth which were attached to a second pack on his opposite side. It stayed on due to support from a loop situated about its neck.

"Do you guys have a place for me to change?" Ranul asked, causing the blush to return to the females.

"We'll just shut the curtains and leave so you can change here." Sonic suggested. Sally and Bunnie quickly agreed and in short time, Ranul was alone with Ralos. Outside, the trio had suddenly been bombarded with several questions, which only Sally was able to answer, but most of them she still wasn't entirely sure about.

After several minutes, Ranul opened the door, now fully dressed in midnight-blue jeans, a shirt of the same color, and plain black tennis shoes. His hair showed signs of an attempted brushing even with victory evident on the part of the hair. His face was friendly, but he had a wild look about him. Ralos stood next to him, and almost appeared to be studying the entire group of gathered onlookers with dull-grey eyes.

"Please, don't stop on my account. If you all want to know so much about me, go ahead and ask the expert." He prompted, trying to lighten the stifling mood that had developed among them in mere moments. "I assume you already know my name's Ranul. Come on, don't be shy."

Most of them nervously averted their eyes while others shifted their weight uncomfortably. Then one brave soul, a ring-tailed lemur, suddenly asked the one question a majority of them shared. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm, the all-important question of purpose. Let me see, I'm here because of an occupation I've already alluded to twice before so I'm going to come right out and say it. I'm a werewolf hunter."

Unexpectedly, his statement drew a collective gasp from all those present. "So, some human myths have somehow leaked into Mobian society?" He sounded honestly surprised at this turn of events.

"Yes, but we always thought it was just that, a myth." Bunnie explained, still shocked that something like that turned out to be true.

"Well, it's true, and there's one that's been in this area for a few days now. I'm just glad to see that the individual whom I saved four days ago is among us." Ranul commented, glancing pointedly at the first Mobian he saw while in the village, Sally. This caught the ground squirrel a little off guard, but it did make sense. What else could that have been other than the supernatural?

"Then it seems I owe you my thanks and my life." She said, turning to face her once unknown rescuer.

"No, you don't owe me anything. It's my life to rid the world of every evil entity that I can; if that only includes werewolves, then fine." Ranul assured her. "But for now, it seems that it's going to be a rather quiet month since last night was the last full moon."

"That's right!" Sonic exclaimed. "Now we can continue raids into Robotropolis without worrying about anything." He was right, there were no risks for about a month until the next time the Mobian moon would be full and now they had a certified werewolf hunter on their side.

"Ranul, we'd be honored if you would remain in Knothole with us for as long as you like." Sally offered their newfound companion.

"Thank you. That does make my job a whole lot easier. This particular werewolf seems to have chosen you as its target and so it's my obligation, as well as Ralos', to protect you." Ranul remarked upon the fact.

"Hold it right there, buddy. If anyone's going to protect Sal, it's going to be me." The blue blur swiftly corrected the human.

"Sonic, don't be so rude. He's our guest. Besides, it doesn't hurt if he wants to help." Sally indignantly reprimanded the hedgehog and faced him with crossed arms.

"It does when he starts acting like Antoine. We don't need two of him around."

"We shouldn't be worryin' about whom he reminds us of, we should be makin' preparations for Ranul to stay here for some time." Bunnie broke off their argument.

"If you'll excuse my bluntness, but I'm starting to feel kind of uncomfortable being the center of attention around here." Ranul intervened as well.

"Alright, Sonic, since so many people seem to be so interested in Ranul, you, Bunnie, and a few of them can make a hut for him to sleep in. Until then, he can stay in the medical hut. Everyone else can go about their business and leave our guest alone; he's had enough to deal with as it stands." Sally said, giving out her instructions.

"Consider it done!" The planet's fastest Mobian saluted and was off to carry out her orders. Slowly, the crowd dispersed and left only her, Ranul, and Ralos there.

"That looks like that takes care of that. Say, when is your next meal? I feel like I haven't eaten in a while." Ranul announced.

"Unfortunately, you just missed lunch, but there are probably leftovers in the dining hut. I can take you there if you want and I'm sure Ralos would like to join us as well." Sally proposed.

"Sounds fine to me, right Ralos." The Pre-Mobian seemed to understand what Ranul had said and yipped favorably.

Rotor and Antoine were currently on guard duty when Ranul had regained consciousness and had to be informed of what had happened when Bunnie relieved them. Sally had decided to reduce the number of guards back down to one in light of the recent occurrence. However, that would go back up once the full moon would be due to come out.

In the meantime, Ranul showed the Freedom Fighters some of his equipment, which was all very fascinating, especially for Rotor. Some of the items he indicated were a silver-tipped dagger, revolver with silver bullets, and even silver arrows with a miniature crossbow. He showed them the mechanisms for each of the components and even demonstrated how each of them worked.

Ranul also decided to give them some training in his weapons. They were all more than willing to lend a hand, and defending an entire village was new to him. Luckily, he had extra daggers and it wasn't entirely difficult to construct a crossbow. Antoine took to the dagger rather handily, most likely due to the fact that he used a sword. Sonic preferred the crossbow along with Rotor, even though Sonic had a bit more accuracy. Bunnie favored the dagger as well because she could use it more effectively than the others could. Sally was the only one who practiced in using the dagger and crossbow, which were both primarily weapons of stealth. In the end, each of them became proficient in their weapons of choice and the inhabitants of Knothole felt more relieved now that some of their own were more capable of taking care of the werewolf threat.

Ranul noticed that none of them bothered to learn how to use the revolver. It was probably on account of something he failed to understand about them since he was human. But that didn't matter as long as they could use what they had, and they used each of their choice weapons well. Bunnie had mastered several basic techniques, helped along by Antoine who was learning some advanced styles. Sally, Sonic, and Rotor each in their own way had mastered the crossbow. Sonic perfected his running shot, Rotor was adept in the stationary shot, and Sally developed her snipe shot from tree limbs. Yet, Sally's skill with the dagger left something to be desired, even with Antoine's tricks of the trade.

All of this took place in about three week's time, which also included some raids and the building of Ranul's temporary home. It was a cozy little abode made of wood. It may not have been as detailed as some the other huts in Knothole, but it served its purpose to a T. Of course, they had to size him a bed since they had pushed two cots together for him when he first 'arrived'.

The Mobians actually astounded Ranul, he thought for sure that since the Great War, they would all consider him dangerous in one way or another. But this was to be proven false as some of them even struck up conversation with him once or twice. The ability of these individuals to forgive so easily impressed Ranul deeply. It almost made him feel that he should have told them the whole truth from the beginning.

As for Ralos, he got just as much, if not more, attention as Ranul. Sure, at first everyone was somewhat timid around him since they knew of their ancestor's tendencies. However, when Ranul had assured them that the white wolf had never or would never harm a Mobian, their tensions gradually eased up. Soon, it didn't even bother them to see Ralos patrol the village's perimeter.

Everything had been going great, but now it was nearly three days before the next full moon and the nerves of the Mobians was being stretched tighter. They knew what would soon happen, and even though they had protectors, that didn't make it any less terrifying. With each passing day, the werewolf came closer to encompassing them in its wrath.

This went on until the early evening of the last day. Apprehension filled the air and there wasn't a single expression that didn't seem to foretell a deadly week. Ranul knew that it was now or never to tell them. It wasn't something he could just conceal for any longer. This plagued his thoughts endlessly. He was still at a loss to reveal his secret less than an hour from moonrise.

Ralos accompanied him more often than he had previously, mainly because he knew what was on his friend's mind. "Yes, I know I have to tell them. But how do you reveal what you really are after all this time?" Ranul responded to the wolf's questioning look. They were quite alone standing near the bridge to Knothole since everyone else was within the village confines. Ralos was currently not wearing his traditional side pack.

"Why don't you just come out and tell them? The worst they can do is exile you." An unfamiliar voice jeered in greeting the brooding hunter. Ralos began to emit a low warning growl, confirming Ranul's suspicions about who it could be.

"Hello, I'm surprised to see you here so soon, especially before the full moon."

"Come now, I just had to see how they would react when they discovered you're no better than those you hunt." He snarled menacingly, emerging from the shrubs. In the twilight, he could be seen to have the same wild look about him with the addition of a grizzled beard, but instead of a jovial appearance, his was that of pure, unadulterated malice. Ralos now bared his massive canines as his fur stood on end in intimidation. His eyes never left the approaching figure that only ignored the warnings.

"You seem to have us at a disadvantage. Who are you that knows of my profession?"

"I am Rektor. The werewolf whose prey you so rudely snatched away." He answered with irritation apparent in his tone.

"Don't be expecting an apology anytime soon. I'm not ashamed of what I did." Ranul countered evenly. This only served to enrage the already ticked Rektor. In a blind, primal fury, he covered the distance between them and seized Ranul. Unprepared for such a sudden and vicious attack, Ranul was roughly knocked onto the wooden panels of the bridge. The two of them were now struggling to gain the upper-hand with Ralos forced into being a spectator for if he were to intervene at this moment, more harm may have been done than good.

The ruckus caused by the two combatants had summoned the Freedom Fighters, who were ready for anything with their choice weapons in hand. By this time, Rektor had Ranul pinned onto the planks and Ralos took this opportunity and performed his own charge. He managed to shift the balance of power back in Ranul's favor by making the offender tumble away from his intended target. This brought him between the Mobians and Ranul.

The two of them rose with Rektor back in control of his emotions and almost laughed when he saw who was now present. "So, it appears that my prey comes willingly to her death, and in time to see their 'heroes' secret uncovered. Tell me, how does it feel, knowing that soon, those who you sought to protect will now fear you as much as me?"

"Ranul, what's he talkin' about?" Bunnie asked, unsure of what was going on.

"It is a folly of mine that I made when we first met. I grossly underestimated your understanding of those unlike yourselves. If I had not misjudged your characters, then you would have known from the beginning that I am that which I hunt, a werewolf. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive such a grievous error." He announced downcast.

Rektor was now laughing fully. "Now they know the truth; that you are just a lowly renegade trying to fit in where he doesn't belong. Give up this worthless quest and give in to your true nature. You're just like me and always will be."

"NO!" Ranul shouted vehemently, he had had more than enough. "I am not like you. You use your abilities for evil and murder; I try to atone for what I have done in the past when I couldn't control my transformed state. I will never be like you or any other werewolf that thinks as you do." He spat with disgust.

"Well, after hearing that speech, I don't see why you can't be forgiven for one mistake." Sally declared as the others nodded in assent to Ranul's proclamation.

"No matter, the moon is rising; I can feel the change beginning now. There is no way you can stop me from claiming what I have come for." Rektor chuckled, speaking the truth, just as he started to convulse violently under the moon's light. Not far from him, the same also happened to Ranul.

The first notable transition was the exponential growth of hair, stretching to cover the pinkish tint of skin. Next, their forms had begun to expand as their muscle structure increased past its human limitations, which consequently also added to their heights and caused their clothes to tear at the seams. Finally, their own facial features had been replaced with those of part of their namesake.

The Freedom Fighters tensed up in anticipation of the coming struggle, each preparing their own weapons.

Rektor only just noticed the arms that they carried for he seemed quite intrigued. "So you have given them the instruments for my supposed defeat. How futile. I will emerge victorious in the end no matter what!" The voice was more gravelly and deep than before, apparently a side effect of the transformation.

"Says who? And since when could werewolves speak once they've changed?" Sonic questioned firmly, steadying his crossbow.

"It is only the werewolves whom have lived for years. They are few and far between, but are there. Not even most normal humans were aware of our existence. It is from this point that we choose what to make of our lives: whether to continue terrorizing innocents, or to help those we have hurt." Ranul's tone had changed in a similar fashion as he spoke his words.

"Enough talk, I grow weary of this. Stay out of my way or suffer." Rektor snarled impatiently.

"Not going to happen!" Sonic defied and fired a shot from his crossbow quick as lightning. But his intended target only dodged the shot and it fell harmlessly against the bridge.

Without a word, Rektor hurtled towards the group of assembled Mobians, intent on his chosen prey. Bunnie boldly stepped up and slashed with her dagger, which only missed by millimeters when the werewolf managed to slow his momentum. He growled in anger at such an audacious act, teeth glinting in the moonlight along with the weapon. In an uncharacteristic display of bravery, Antoine joined Bunnie in the barricade of steel and silver.

"En guarde!" The coyote shouted. As he did so, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor backed up some paces for more firing room. Before Rektor had a chance to even try and break their defense, Ranul made his own attack, leaping upon his back and driving his own canines deep into the shoulder of the evil being.

A howl of pain escaped Rektor as he felt the implements bury themselves into his muscles. In an attempt to pry his opponent off of him, he grasped onto Ranul's own shoulder. That didn't do as much damage, but it caused Ranul to lessen his grip somewhat.

Taking his chance, Rektor flung Ranul at the two dagger-wielding fighters. They had to dodge or risk hurting their ally with his own weapons which gave the sinister beast a straight opening to the others behind, particularly Sally. To make matters worse, Ranul was presently in the line of fire so they couldn't chance harming him either.

In a flurry of movement, Rektor was upon the hapless furries and drew back his massive paw for a death strike. But he didn't count on Sonic's reflexes that caused him to pull the trigger on his bow and land a direct hit in the creature's gut. This caused the werewolf to double over in pain, giving a recovered Ranul enough time to seize him and toss the brute off to the side.

Landing on the ground in a bundle of growling fur, Rektor rose to face the formidable forces arrayed against him. Bleeding freely from his shoulder and abdomen, he wrenched the projectile fired earlier free, ignoring the searing pain radiating throughout his body. A recovered Bunnie and Antoine, along with Ralos, had now rejoined their friends next to Ranul. For long moments, the werewolf and Freedom Fighters simply stood there, sizing the opposition up for a new strike, including Sonic who had already reloaded his weapon.

With a frenzied roar, Rektor charged blindly at his opponents who were more than ready this time for such a strike. Sally, Sonic, and Rotor unleashed the bolts while Bunnie and Antoine prepped for their own counterattack. Ranul then placed himself between the crossbow wielders and the mad beast so they could have more safety in which to set their bows ready again.

The bolts sailed through the air, but only one came close to its mark even though they all seemed to have been aimed almost perfectly. The daggers were now shown to be useless as Rektor gave an almighty bound far over their heads and well behind their lines. The maneuver caught them all completely unawares, they thought that he had just lost his mind and went for a final, desperate onslaught.

Now he had the precious few moments needed to execute his ultimate goal. His blood-red eyes focused in on Sally as he assailed her from behind. He had hoped to catch them all unawares, including Sonic, but the blue blur lived up to his name and saw what was coming. In the nick of time, the brown squirrel was out of harm's way, but the same couldn't be said for her rescuer.

The strike was intended as a fatal blow for Sally in her previous position, not for Sonic and so the hedgehog survived, but with a bloody gash in his arm. Sally's crossbow had been dropped in the rush and went missing unnoticed as she watched in horror what had happened to her fiancé. Words could not describe the sheer helplessness she felt now, witnessing what had occurred. It was even worse than her first 'encounter' with the werewolf they were now facing.

Rektor, ignoring the Mobian on the ground, rounded on Ranul who had barely recovering from the shock of such an ingenious tactic. This gave Rektor the advantage as he grappled against the werewolf hunter. The others gave them a wide berth now that their weapons again had the chance of injuring Ranul. Sheathing her dagger temporarily, Bunnie dragged Sonic out of dodge so his wounds could at least be treated somewhat. Sally could do nothing other than use her own vest to try and stem the massive blood loss.

Ralos now took his chance in aiding Ranul. As a human, Ranul may have been injured in such an attempt, but now that he had transformed, the likelihood of such an event diminished greatly. Ralos bolted and snapped at the legs of Rektor, catching one and effectively held him in place, which gave Ranul the chance he needed to change the momentum of the battle.

Meanwhile, Sonic's wound had stopped bleeding which Sally was extremely grateful for, even though her vest was now bloodstained. However, he was now unconscious and would be unable to continue the fight anytime soon. Looking over, she saw the deadly clash take place and readied herself with her dagger as Bunnie did the same with hers.

"No my princess, it is too dangerous for you. This monstrosity will be left for the rest of us, no?" Sally would have protested if Rotor had not intervened.

"He's right, it's after you and you'd just be making yourself an easier target. Besides, someone needs to stay and make sure Sonic doesn't get hurt worse than he already is." Sally saw the truth in these words, but couldn't let what happened to Sonic happen to anyone else. But then again, Sonic was now defenseless and injured, if she left now and he actually died, she would never be able to look herself in the mirror again. The others could take care of themselves much better than he could and the thought of losing him made her feel sick to her stomach and she finally consented to their request.

As Rotor, Antoine, and Bunnie headed off back into the fray, Rektor had somehow outmaneuvered Ranul and Ralos. The white wolf had but one discernible wound, which was a cut about his muzzle that fortunately bled little. Ranul had avoided serious injury as well, but now Rektor once again held the edge on this confrontation.

The three of them encircled the combatants, ready to lend a hand if it proved necessary. As the fight raged on, it became fiercer and fiercer, with all three of them growling violently. There looked as if no conclusion was in sight, they all seemed evenly matched, even with the evil werewolf outnumbered two to one.

Ultimately, Rektor got underneath of Ranul's defenses, raised him over his head, and gave an enormous heave. Ranul flew through the night air and settled several yards away from his previous location. Rotor took this chance and fired his crossbow; Ralos was sufficiently out of his line-of-sight for him to strike. Still slightly unbalanced from his last move, Rektor was incapable of defending himself and took the bolt squarely in the back.

Bunnie followed up the attack with one of her own, but was not so lucky to catch him off guard. Rektor deftly dodged out of the dagger's path and came back with a crippling blow that left her motionless on the ground. Ralos saw this and prevented further harm to her by snapping at Rektor's arm, keeping it from its intended purpose. Frustrated at this occurrence, Rektor turned his attention to the meddler.

But now, Ranul had recovered from his blow and though was a little worn for wear, was nonetheless more than ready to continue the battle. He tackled Rektor in the side while he was distracted with the wolf that he had twisted his arm free of. With the immediate danger out of the way, Ralos endeavored to drag Bunnie to a safer area as Antoine and Rotor aided him.

They moved Bunnie to where Sonic and Sally were so that the cyborg rabbit could be treated. At this time, the two opposing werewolves once again traded blows, but with Rektor's actions noticeably slower, mainly from the silver poisoning received from the bolts he had been careless to avoid. But Ranul wasn't faring much better judging from his reaction time.

However, Rektor had one advantage on his side, the anger he felt for this other like him. To Rektor, he had done the equivalent to betraying his own kin. Add that to the meddling in his hunts and it was enough to give him the strength to carry on the mêlée. The more Rektor thought about it, the more infuriated he became, until in a final, bloodthirsty roar, a well-timed blow seemed to finish the engagement.

Ranul was now unmoving upon the ground, but he was the last thing on Rektor's mind at this moment. Now he turned his attention towards the Mobians who were merely a minor annoyance to him, even though they had weakened him considerably. Without their werewolf helper, they were now practically defenseless. Intent on finally ending the night with a kill, he heedlessly rushed the small group. Antoine, Rotor, and Ralos had been on their way to rejoin the skirmish and were easily knocked aside. Nothing was going to stand in his way now. His prey was the only thing left standing, and he could tell that she was far too scared to do anything.

Sally saw that she was now alone to take on the beast that was supposed to only be myth and legend. The glinting teeth, the wild eyes, and the sheer size of her aggressor was nearly too much for her to handle. What could she do against such insurmountable odds? But then she thought back to Sonic and how he had taken the strike originally meant for her. She couldn't give up now, not while there was still breath in her body.

Tightening her grip upon the only weapon that could finish the demonic creature, she set herself firm. Rektor now leapt, intending for a glorious finale Sally saw coming. However, his reflexes had been greatly diminished, while Sally's were still almost fresh. Without thinking, she ducked the massive claws of the monster and planted the dagger steadfastly within it. After that was nothing but darkness.

Ranul, recuperating from the last assault, only saw Rektor pounce upon Sally and he could feel his eyes widening at the sight. He couldn't believe it, after all that time, all their fighting; he had won in the end. Grief and shame flooded him and now all he cared for was to finish the battle that should have been his alone to fight.

But something was wrong, if Rektor had truly gained his kill, why was he completely motionless. A small glimmer of hope erupted within him and he rushed over to its immobile form. Antoine, Rotor, and Ralos had also awoken from their temporary unconsciousness. Bunnie and Sonic weren't quite close enough to have been involved in what was obviously an enclosed skirmish.

Unsure of what he would discover, Ranul rolled the body of Rektor over onto his back to reveal a slightly bruised, but otherwise all right, Sally. Looking to Rektor now showed why he had not attained his goal. The hilt of a dagger could be seen protruding from his chest, undoubtedly piercing his heart and killing him instantly. Relief flooded his being as he gazed from the werewolf to the squirrel, glad that the battle had been decided in their favor.

Once Antoine and Rotor learned what had occurred they were only too happy to take Sally, Sonic, and Bunnie back into the village to be properly treated. Ranul gave them some tonic he said would keep the werewolf curse from spreading through their friends. Ralos, being a natural wolf, was immune to its effects.

All that left was to convince the citizens of Knothole that what Ranul did was for the best in not telling them about his affliction from the beginning. The reason was that if he had told them, he feared that they would have forced him into leaving the village. If that would have happened, then the Freedom Fighters would be ill prepared to face Rektor when he appeared and Sally would surely have not been around very long then.

He had told the truth, if not it all. It was indeed him that saved Sally that first encounter, and he had followed her scent to Knothole. Once he did, every night, he would patrol the edge of the village in secret with Ralos. On the final night, Rektor had apparently gone mad with impatience and struck blindly at him. That was what Sonic had heard in the forest. Since the moon had just set moments before, Ranul had reverted into his human form, leaving almost no trace of what he had been until that time.

Most of the Mobians understood Ranul's plight and forgave him almost as readily as Sally. Yet, there were a few that felt quite differently, but were afraid to speak up for fear of any retribution against them. Ranul had sensed this hidden fear and decided it would be for the best if he left Knothole as soon as he could, which turned out to be after a week, just long enough for Sonic to be healed completely.

The reason Ranul remained in the village during that time was that he felt responsible for what had happened to Sonic and offered any assistance he could until the hedgehog was well enough to participate in raids again. Robotnik never could figure out what had torn his SWATBOTS limb from limb in the dead of night while the Freedom Fighters destroyed factories and refineries.

After Ranul had gone in search of other evil werewolves roaming the planet, Sally would often look up into the night sky every time it was a full moon. True, werewolves may have been creatures of the night and were widely feared, but like always there were exceptions. Ranul had proven that. This proved to Sally that the stellar object orbiting their planet was truly a moon of good and evil.


End file.
